DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum

gemeinntzige GmbH

The 3rd International Cooperation Conference on Biogas

Industrialization in China (Organizers: CAAA, DLG, CBS)
19.05.2012 Nanjing, China

The administration and performance

evaluation of biogas plants in Germany

Jan Postel, Dr. Britt Schumacher, Dr. Jan Liebetrau

DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinntzige GmbH, Torgauer Str. 116, D-04347 Leipzig, www.dbfz.de

Performance evaluation of
biogas plants
Efficiency: Ratio of actual power output and power input
What is required to evaluate a biogas plant?
1.
Mass balance of in- and output
2.
Energy balance of the biogas plant, including in- and output
3.
Data of the reliability of the equipment (hours/year)
What is needed for the mass/energy balances and the reliability data?
4.
Characterization of substrates
5.
Main state of the art technologies (data acquisition)
6.
Losses/Emissions
7.
Evaluation of the overall biogas plant concept

Performance evaluation of
biogas plants (process chain)

Excrements

Preliminary
tank

What is required to evaluate a biogas

plant?
Mass balance of in- and output
Energy balance of the biogas plant,
including in- and output
Data of the reliability of the
equipment (hours/year)
Biogas

Energy crops
Digester

Silo
Substratestorage

SubstrateFeed in

Digestate

Gasstorage

Biogasutilization

e.g. combined
heat and power
plant (CHP)

Distribution/Application digestate

Storage tank (digestate)

3

Requirements for energy balances

as basis for efficiency evaluation
Efficiency: Ratio of actual power output and power input
What is necessary for a qualified evaluation?
1. Definition of theoretical energy output
2. Evaluation, documentation, quantification of mass and energy streams,
Evaluation of operational hours, (documentation of down times, flaring
events, maintenance periods etc. )
3. Calculation of capacity utilization
4. Actual theoretical comparison
5. Identification of bottlenecks
6. Optimization

Mass balance
Grass silage
Digester
Cattle Manure
Digestate

Inorganic matter
Organic matter
Water
Water vapour
Carbondioxid

Documentation and
quantification of all
relevant mass streams

Methane

Mass balances
evaluation
Does the quality and amount of input masses realized in practice meet the
design assumptions?
Is the Biogas production according to the theoretical value?
(consider the conversion efficiency within the CHP as important factor if
no direct quantification of the biogas mass flow is available!!)
If not check:
- Substrate quality (is the assumed biogas potential correct?)
- Infeed amount correct?
- Quantification of degree of degradation by means of a gas
potential test of the digestate
- Stability of biological process (acid concentration?)
- Temperature
- Inhibition effects
- Leackage of biogas within the gas collection system
6

Energy
balance
A high
degree of
utilization of
waste heat
from the CHP
is of
enormous
relevance for
the overall
efficiency

Energy balance evaluation

Is the energy output as expected?
Electrical:
If not check:
Biogas production as assumed?
CHP unit conversion efficiency as assumed?
Consumption of devices on site to large?
Downtime - what are bottlenecks of the process?
Thermal:
If not check:
Losses due to poor insulation?
Are there other options for heat utilization?

1. CHARACTERIZATION OF
SUBSTRATES

Biomass / Substrates
Energy crops

By-products & Residues

Organic waste

10

Substrate characteristics
Gas potential (maximum biogas yield obtainable) measured or
calculated (digestion tests, animal nutrition test, elementary analysis)
Degradation rate (reduction of the concentration of organic substance)
Content of micro (trace) and macro elements
Content of potential inhibitory substances as nitrogen, sulphur,
antibiotics etc.
Material handling: pumpability, content of disturbing material (e.g.
sand, stones)

11

Characterization of Substrates Composition

Dry matter content (DM): waterless (anhydrous) share of a mixture after
drying at 105 C.
Organic dry matter content (oDM): Mixture free of water (anhydrous) and
free of inorganic substances generally per drying at 105 C and annealing
at 550 C
Fractions of fat, protein and carbohydrate analyzed by Weender Animal
nutrition analysis
Representative samples of the biomass are essential for meaningful results!

12

Methods of substrates
characterization
Animal nutrition analysis

Continuous anaerobic digestion

Discontinuous anaerobic digestion

13

Methods of substrates
characterization
Effort

Informative value

Digestion tests
Batch
Continuous
Tests to calculate the
biogas yield

Medium
(approx. 35
days)
High (months)

Medium (general
degradability)
High (degradability under
real conditions, inhibition,
deficiencies)

Medium
(approx. 1
Medium (fat, protein,
week)
various carbohydrates, ash)
Animal nutrition
Medium
Low (all elements, but
(approx. 1
carbon as lignin is not
Elementary
analysis
Representative
samples of theweek)
biomass are essentialdegradable)
for meaningful results!
Depended on the quality of
14
low
source
Data from literature

Biogas potential
Substrate

TS, VS
%, %TS

biogas potential
m3/t substrate

biogas potential
m3/t VS

cow manure

8-11, 75-82

20-30

200-500

pig manure

7, 75-86

20-35

300-700

cow manure

25, 68-76

40-50

210-300

Chicken manure

32, 63-80

70-90

250-450

Corn silage

20-35, 85-95

170-200

450-700

Rye silage

30-35, 92-98

170-220

550-680

molasses

80-90, 85-90

290-340

360-490

Separately collected biowaste

40-75,50-70

80-120

150-600

Lipids from grease separator

2-70, 75-93

11-450

700

Glycerin (SEEG)

47, 70

425

1295

15

Characterization of Substrates Conclusion

Substrates differ in energy density, composition and degradability
Mostly pre-treatment enhances the degradability of substrates,
except for lignin, which is only aerobic degradable
High amounts of extreme easy degradable substrates can lead to
process failure, due to a excessive acid production
Mono-fermentation can lead to an unbalanced nutrient supply,
therefore a suitable mixture of substrates or a supply with lacking
nutrients are recommendable
High concentrations of ammonia can lead to difficulties in the
biological process
High concentrations of sulphur can cause damage e.g. CHP
Sand and stones can lead to technical difficulties
16

2. MAIN STATE OF THE ART

TECHNOLOGIES

General technical requirements

high reliability/durability and short maintenance interruptions of all plant
components are essential for high operating and full load hours the
overall process has to be reliable!
Technology has to match the substrate/biomass, sufficient flexibility for
change in substrate
Capacity of the plant as a whole and the plant components have to
match the actual substrate and mass flows
Low energy consumption
Easy to monitor and control
18

Biomass and reactor type

Digester type is selected according to the substrate characteristics
Agricultural application TS between 3 12 % continuous stirred tank
reactor (CSTR), manure and energy crops
plug flow digesters mostly for higher total solid concentrations
Box/garage type digestion only for biomass, which is stackable and
can be easily saturated by percolate (landscape management
material, separately collected biowaste), highly insensitive to sand,
rocks, disturbing material

19

Continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR)

20

Plug Flow Tank Reactor (PFTR)

vertical

horizontal
G as

E inIntake
tra g

Discharge
A u s tr a g

21

Batch Reactor
Garage type digester
discontinuous

Prozeschema Boxenfermenter (Abbildung: BEKON GmbH Co. KG); Fotos: Bekon GmbH (oben), DBFZ (unten)
22

Process evaluation
Laboratory tests

Online measurement

Degradation of VS, TS, TOC, COD

Content of organic acids (sum
parameter)
Content of organic acids (portion of
each acid)

not permanent available

need of sampling
time consuming,
difficult to automate,
high information content

Permanent available,
easy integration to automated
process
information content???

Input
Gas production rate
pH-value
Methane content
Carbondioxid content
Hydrogen content
Temperature

23

Technologies - Conclusion

Energy output depended on many factors (substrate

qualities, stability of biological process, efficiencies and
availabilities technical devices)
Primary target should be: process stability, reliability of
technology
Secondary target: gas production rate and energy output
The energy consumption of all devices should be kept by
a minimum
A high degree of utilization of waste heat from the CHP is
of enormous relevance for the overall efficiency
24

3. LOSSES/EMISSIONS

Losses / Emissions

Losses reduce the energy output and lead to emissions (gaseous,

liquid, solid)
Need to minimize losses to
prevent environmental pollution
avoid the release of greenhouse gases
prevent the release of toxic substances
ensure high energy efficiency
ensure economical operation

26

Sources of emissions
within the process chain
Elevated N2O und
NH3-Emissions
due to crop growing ?
Humus balance?
Nutrition balance?

No data available preliminary tank

Excrements

methane losses of the plant?

Leakages?
Methane losses
Biogas upgrading?

Coverage?
Silage losses
5-20% ?

Preliminary
tank

Relief pressure valve?

Emissions- from the
Co generation unit ?
Biogas

Energy crops
Digester

Silo
Substratestorage

SubstrateFeed in

Gasstorage

Biogasutilization

Digestate

Distribution/Application digestate
Emissions not extensively investigated yet
dependend on substrates, moisture content of the soil,
climate, time and period of application
Storage tank (digestate)
Large variations in N2O emissions
e.g. Methane emissions from open storage tanks;
Dependend on processing + substrates
Emissions influenced by distribution techniques

27

Possible losses I
Silage storage facilities
Respiration and decomposition of organic matter
Hopper/ preliminary tank/ open hydolysis
- Hopper used for mixing of substrate with digestate
Methane (CH ), Hydrogen (H )
4
2
- Solid material feed in device
Respiration and decomposition of organic matter
Digester
- Permeability of rubber membrane, leakages and pressure relief
valves
Mainly Methane (CH )
4
28

Possible losses II
Storage tank (digestate)
Methane (CH ), nutrients (fertilizer value) (NH ,(N O))
4
3
2
Gas utilization
- Co generation unit
Mainly Methane (CH ) and unburnt hydrocarbon (C H )
4
n m
- Upgrading facilities (Feed in with natural gas quality)
Methane slip (CH )
4

29

Specific biogas yield (l*kgVS-1)

Gas potential of digestates

Time (d)

Low retention times lead to incomplete substrate utilization

For comparison: 18-70 m/t digestate
30

3. Losses / Emissions - Conclusion

due to environmental and economic reasons losses

should be avoided
Plant design, substrate and operation of the plant affect
the amount of losses
Frequent check of the plant and operational management
should be self-evident
Actual theoretical comparison is needed for precise
identification of losses!

31

4. EVALUATION OF THE OVERALL

BIOGAS PLANT CONCEPT

Evaluation for Optimization

Aim: Achieving of a defined target state (optimum) by well-directed
modification of current situation

Procedure
Process control

Techni
que

Availability
Capacity utilization
Efficiency

Econo
mie

Greenhouse gas emissions

Odour emissions
Noise emissions

Environ
ment

Investment costs
Operational costs
Income

No independent optimization of isolated items

possible, due to mutual dependency
Source: Leitfaden Biogas; www.fnr.de

33

4. Evaluation of the overall biogas

plant concept - Conclusion
Are technology and substrates (texture/amount) a good match?
Which ratio of energy production to energy consumption is achievable?
(electricity and heat)
Fits the plant to operational needs, infrastructure and consumers - gas,
electricity and/or heat grid?
Are collection and documentation of data appropriate to avoid malfunction?
Are the losses reduced to a minimum?
Which climatic conditions are to consider? Are insulation or cooling
needed?
Are the distances between biogas plant and substrates source
respectively between biogas plant and residues application short enough?
(logistics, costs)
Are aspects of environmental protection to consider?

34

Thank you very much for your attention!

Research for the Energy of the Future

Deutsches BiomasseForschungsZentrum
German Biomass Research Centre
Torgauer Strae 116
D-04347 Leipzig
www.dbfz.de
Tel./Fax. +49(0)341 2434 112 / 133

Contact:
Dr.-Ing. Jan Liebetrau
Jan Postel
Dr. Britt Schumacher